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A hotel approved for Leesburg Pike in 2015 remains unbuilt, and its developer is seeking three more years to secure financing and find an operator after Marriott abandoned the project.
Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh requested the extension on behalf of Lerner Enterprises, the developer behind Tysons II. If approved, the new deadline to begin construction at 7799 Leesburg Pike in Idylwood would be July 1, 2028.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors originally approved a 10-story, 155-room Marriott Residence Inn for the property. Lerner received site-plan approval in October 2016, but construction never began.
Land-use attorney Andrew Painter told the Fairfax County Department of Planning and Zoning in a June 18 letter that the COVID-19 pandemic and other market forces weakened the hotel market. Marriott later withdrew from the proposal.
Painter said Lerner needs more time to obtain financing and recruit another hotel operator. County staff are reviewing the 36-month extension request, which follows postponements granted in 2020 and 2022.
The 1.62-acre property sits southeast of the Interstate 495 and Route 7 interchange, next to the Westin Tysons hotel. Two 11-story office towers built in 1985 currently occupy the site.
The hotel was planned for a surface parking lot along Ramada Road rather than as a replacement for the office buildings. When the project was approved on April 7, 2015, the parking area was described as underused.
Plans also called for stormwater improvements, landscaping and transportation upgrades. Proposed features included shuttles to nearby shopping destinations and Metro stations, along with new sidewalks and an on-street bicycle lane.
The property has changed hands since the original approval. Lerner sold the office complex to D.C.-area office-building operator Empire Leasing for $49 million in July 2022. The towers had recently received a $4 million renovation but were only 36% leased at the time.
It remains unclear whether that sale affected the hotel proposal. In its extension application, Walsh Colucci argued that the approved development remains compatible with county zoning rules, the Comprehensive Plan and the public interest.
The long-stalled proposal would enter an already crowded Tysons hotel market. The Westin stands next door, while the renovated Tysons Corner Marriott operates across the I-495 and Route 7 interchange. Other nearby properties include the Hyatt Regency at Tysons Corner Center, the Ritz-Carlton at Tysons Galleria, Hilton’s DoubleTree and Marriott’s Courtyard near Chain Bridge Road.
The Watermark Hotel at Capital One Center and the Archer Hotel in Scotts Run both opened in 2021. Fairfax County supervisors also approved a dual-branded Hilton hotel in Scotts Run last year.
Until development starts on that Scotts Run block at Dolley Madison Boulevard and Anderson Road, a site plan submitted in April proposes a prefabricated soccer field. That application is also under county staff review.